To date, 2D display has been the mainstream in most flat panel display devices. However, in recent years, flat panel display devices capable of performing 3D display have drawn much attention, and some of them are coming onto the market. Since it is expected that future flat panel display devices will tend to be naturally required to have a 3D display function, the flat panel display devices capable of performing 3D display have been widely researched in a wide range of fields.
In general, in order to perform 3D displaying on a flat panel display device, a right-eye image and a left-eye image need to be selectively applied to the right and left eyes of a viewer in a certain method. For example, as a method for selectively applying the right-eye image and the left-eye image, a passive-type 3D display method is known. The passive-type 3D display method will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a passive-type 3D display using a liquid crystal display panel. In the example illustrated in FIG. 14, in a liquid crystal display panel, vertically consecutive pixels are sequentially and alternately allocated for right-eye pixels and left-eye pixels and are driven according to right-eye image data and left-eye image data, so that a right-eye image and a left-eye image are simultaneously displayed. Furthermore, a pattern phase difference film is arranged on a panel surface of the liquid crystal display panel to convert linearly polarized light beams emitted from the right-eye pixels and left-eye pixels into circularly polarized light beams having different polarization directions for the right-eye image and the left-eye image. Accordingly, in the passive type, a viewer puts on glasses with corresponding polarizing filters, so that a right-eye image and a left-eye image are selectively applied to the right and left eyes of the viewer.
The passive type can be applied to a liquid crystal display device having a low response speed, and 3D displaying can be performed with a simple and easy configuration employing a pattern phase difference film and circular polarizing glasses. Therefore, a passive-type liquid crystal display device has drawn much attention as a key component for a next-generation display device.
In the pattern phase difference film associated with the passive type, a pattern-shaped phase difference layer applying phase difference to transmitting light corresponding to pixel allocation is necessary. Pattern phase difference film has not been widely researched and developed yet, and no standard technique thereof has been established as yet.
With respect to the pattern phase difference film, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for producing a pattern phase difference film by forming a photo-alignment film which controls an alignment regulation force on a glass substrate and the patterning arrangement of the liquid crystal molecules by using the photo-alignment film. However, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the glass substrate needs to be used and the pattern phase difference film is expensive, there is a problem in that it is difficult to perform mass production of large-area pattern phase difference film.
In addition, with respect to the pattern phase difference film, Patent Document 2 discloses a method for producing a photo-alignment film which controls the alignment regulation force in a patterned shape by forming a fine convex-concave shape in the periphery of the roll plate through laser irradiation and by transferring the convex-concave shape onto the film. In the method disclosed in Patent Document 2, the entire circumference of the roll plate needs to be irradiated by laser in full through laser scanning. Therefore, there is a problem in that much time is taken to manufacture the roll plate. In addition, there is a problem in that an expensive laser machining apparatus needs to be used.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2005-49865
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2010-152296